Family Business 20: Work of a Lord at Home (Patreon)

Family Business
Chapter 20: Work of a Lord at Home

-VB-

Another life, another day.

Despite becoming a titled hereditary noble and possessing more land than the rest of my family, I still worked. Work, in this case, involved a lot of different activities, not just paperwork that I’ve come to master. I met with the leaders of artisan guilds, commoners petitioning for justice, tax collectors, personal investments, chief city guard, retinues of other nobles, and more.

It was in the middle of one such meeting that I received the news.

I stared at the paper after having raised a hand to get me a moment of silence. The three guildmasters of Jorasmang - Jeria of the Stonemasons, Violata of the Textiles, and Wendscrio of the General Merchants - stared at me silently, waiting for a response.

“It seems,” I said as I set the paper down and smiled at them. “I am once again needed in the capital.”

“For what business, milord?” Wendscrio, a middle aged fish merchant, asked curiously. He was the least abrasive of the guildmasters but also the most curious and greedy.

“My personal soldiers were successful in capturing the prison breaker, city-ruiner, and rebel Sylas in the midst of his rebel camp. He’s been brought back to Demacia for execution.”

My words took time to sink into the guildmasters’ heads, but when it did, they congratulated me without knowing why they should aside from my soldiers being involved in the capture of a wanted man, of course.

Because just because I was needed at the capital did not mean that my business with them was done yet.

“I have some time before I am to present myself before the king. That said, let us continue to discuss the taxations I have levied upon your three guilds.”

“We feel that it’s unfair to suddenly levy 7% increase tax on all of us,” Violata spoke first.

“You know it’s to pay for the wastes you throw out into the streets, yes? I have shown you the numbers.”

Wendscrio didn’t say anything. Greedy as he was, he was also the most mature of the three and the most reasonable. Violata could be said to be the “middle,” and Jeria was the least reasonable.

“So what if we make some waste?” he asked me with a frown. “It’s not like we’re intentionally trying to muck up the city.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Stonemasons leave behind the most waste by weight out of the three guilds here. Moving a ton of waste per day is not easy nor cheap. Are you saying that I should pay for it when you are making money and leaving those wastes?”

“Why not? Hell, why not tax the people who buy the houses we make?”

“They already are shouldering half of the cost.”

He blinked. “I didn’t know you were serious about that.”

“If I forced you to shoulder all of the tax, then it would be unfair, no?”

“It is!”

“Good. Whether you increase the price or not is not my concern, but if the prices become a hindrance to the expansion of the city, then I might not keep your guild as retainer. As for you Violata, your guild produces a middling amount of waste, but it is by far the most toxic.”

She looked alarmed. “Toxic?”

“You didn’t think the reagents and dyes you use and throw away with the water were safe, did you?”

“We knew that it’s not something we shouldn’t drink…”

“But it’s more than that. It harms the river. It stinks up the place and damages the local river fishing industry,” I replied and then leaned forward. “Believe me, if it was up to the fishmonger guilds, they would have taxed far higher.” Then leaning back, I gave her a bit of a breathing room with my next words. “That said, the textile guild employs more people than the fishmongers by a factor of three, and the fishmongers themselves are guilty of untreated wastes. They are taxed just as you are, just at a lower rate since they produce less waste.”

Finally, I looked to Wendscrio. “As for the Merchant guild, you know why I am levying this tax, yes?”

“You are removing the gate toll for the merchants and creating a ‘fast lane’ to ensure that our goods, and thus the city’s goods, come and go to and from the city easily.”

I nodded. “I have observed that over the course of the last year or so, traffic at all four gates have increased significantly. So much so that it was becoming problems like delayed deliveries, goods shortages, and fights. The ‘merchant gate’ as it will be called will ensure that there will be less of all three of those. I take it that the Merchant Guild has no problem with this?”

“None whatsoever.”

“Good, then I have to go and prepare for my audience with the king. I bid you three a good day.”

-VB-

Just because one meeting was over did not mean it was the end of my businesses at Jorasmang City.

Oh no no no, I still had to personally manage my investments and magical recruits as well as ensure that the immigrants from Ionia were settling in.

After all of that was finished over the course of three days, I finally packed up and went to Demacia.

To see Sylas get his head lopped off.